| Summary: | This dissertation describes the creation of new music technology and information systems: electronic music interfaces, keyboard and audio networks, a novel information system called an electronic student assessment and data management system and new intelligent tutoring systems. Keyboard systems are used by music teachers. Existing systems offered a range of useful features using a number of technologies. However, they also had drawbacks, which prevented users from performing efficiently. Students had to use the new systems with portable keyboards for their lessons and were required to learn how to play the keyboard by the national curriculum. However, student's music and keyboard playing skills varied. A new intelligent tutoring system was created to overcome this problem by delivering customised tutoring on music and keyboard skills through the new systems. A broad base of research was completed and the following were the tangible research successes. The new music technology systems consisted of a network of new electronic music interfaces that could be remotely controlled from a computer using a new communication protocol. New object oriented control structures to interface with non-computer networks were defined to enable the accurate setting and display of system status, as well as management of communication-problems and abnormalities. The novel information system was a new three-tier information system created to help teachers manage students and their work. The new music technology and information systems used a new ergonomic graphical user interface. A new mobile teaching system using these systems (tablet PCs, software remote control and local station control) allowed teachers to perform their teaching anywhere. These systems were used as a test bed to implement artificial intelligence. A new habits capturer, using a new stamping method was created to anticipate user's actions from monitored activity. Also, a new computer aided instruction system to teach basic music-keyboard skills was created. This new system used the new music technology systems (through a novel interfacing method using keylighting, text-to-speech and key capturing technologies), and a new music=keyboard skills expert used as a music concept translator. The computer aided instruction system formed the base for the creation of a new intelligent computer aided instruction system (also called intelligent tutoring system) to tech basic music-keyboard skills in a custom way. This new intelligent system used a new methodology. The new methodology showed that a tutor module that gathered knowledge, expertise and assessment functions was viable. The new intelligent system also used a new generic tutoring base. Finally, a new learning curves plotter was created to display student modelling information from the new intelligent system.
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